Survival
by November Rain 19
Summary: AU. Kim wakes up to a world that is radically different than the one she knows. More of an explanation inside. Eventual Kigo and first KP fic. Be gentle. Chapter 6 is up.
1. Silence

**A/N**: This is going to be interesting. I've never written a fic for Kim Possible before, but after reading so many great ones I decided to give it a try. This is pretty much the movie _28 Days Later_, but with Kim and Shego. That's right, zombie-esque action. Blame the muses. I go where they lead me. This is AU, so no Ron, Rufus or tweebs. I also aged Kim a little bit so she's 19 in this story.

This is also a pseudo homage to 'Alone, Together' by Failt200, a totally awesome story which you need to go and read if you haven't. In fact, stop reading this and go read that.

**Disclaimer**: Kim Possible does not belong to me, nor does _28 Days Later_. That should be painfully obvious. No harm intended. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, after all.

**Warnings**: This will traipse down the road of (eventual) Kim/Shego. If you don't like the idea of two girls being together, hit the back button on your browser. Rated M for the pairing and language. I don't usually write with (major) curse words, so this is a first as well. There aren't many though.

**Lyrics**:

_Crowded streets are cleared away  
One by One  
Hollow heroes separate  
As they run _– So Cold, Breaking Benjamin

Survival, Part One:

Silence

By Melissa

* * *

There were no sounds, save for the very soft inhalation and exhalation of breath.

In.

Out.

In.

Out.

With a sharp intake of breath, Kimberly Ann Possible cracked her eyes open. Sunlight was streaming through a large window directly onto her face. Her eyes moved slowly around, taking in the surroundings. The room was not one she recognized, which definitely meant she wasn't in her home.

She would soon discover that her dreamless sleep was actually the safer of the two places to be.

She was in a hospital room, hooked up to machines that were, interestingly enough, not beeping. She looked around, obviously confused.

'Definitely a hospital room,' she thought to herself. "Definitely a hospital gown," she said out loud, looking down at the flimsy piece of cloth that clung to her frame.

Kim began to rack her brains as to how she ended up here. She vaguely recalled having to escape one of Senor Senior Sr.'s death traps, if they could really even be called that. The memory stopped abruptly. She had no idea how she had managed to end up here.

'At least I'm alive,' she mused. Missing time could be dealt with.

She stood up uneasily, but didn't get very far due to the IV in her arm. She followed the tubing with her eyes, ending at the bag of fluid. Or had what once been a bag of fluid. It was completely gutted and empty.

"Someone is definitely slacking on their job," she said to no one in particular. She placed a thumb on top of her skin, at the crook of her left arm, under which the needle was inserted. Applying pressure, she withdrew the needle, before bending her arm up to slow the flow of blood. There was no need to have the worthless IV line any longer.

She took a few unsteady steps forward and wobbled. To steady herself, her hand fell upon the footboard of the hospital bed. Her fingers landed upon a hanging clipboard. Kim picked it and read her own medical record. It looked like she had suffered a head injury, and had been unconscious for quite some time.

What was extra weird was that the entries abruptly stopped, as of a few days ago. No dates, no medication administrations, no observations, no initials.

'Odd,' Kim thought to herself. 'There's no way that no one would have not checked on me in that time. It's a hospital, for pete's sake.'

Kim walked to the doorway of her room and peaked her head out into the hallway, hoping to see some doctors and nurses bustling about.

There was no one though. The hallway was completely devoid of life.

"Why can't anything be easy?" she asked herself out loud.

A quick search of her room yielded nothing of use. Not her clothes, not her kimmunicator, nothing.

She rolled her eyes. "Fabulous."

Having no reason to stay where she was, Kim began to walk the halls. Items of all sorts were strewn about. Papers, clipboards, magazines, writing instruments, medical instruments and equipment, overturned carts and gurneys, and so on. But there was absolutely no sign of any human being.

"Hello?" Kim called out.

No answer.

She felt like she was in the movie 'Titanic' looking for signs of life in the icy waters. She bit back the urge to yell out, 'Is anyone alive out there?!'

Everywhere she went was the same. No patients, no staff, no visitors. One of the rooms she checked was the locker room. Tired of being less than decently dressed, she grabbed a pair of folded scrubs and shoes from an open locker. No one was around to mind. Once she was clad in light blue, she again went on her way.

"How hard did I hit my head??" The exasperation in her voice was more than evident. "I so must be dreaming."

She made her way to the lobby of the hospital. A soda machine had been broken out, spilling cans across the floor. Kim knelt down and picked up a diet cola, cracked it open, and took a swig. At least that small action was still the same.

There was a discarded backpack on the floor. Kim picked it up and looked inside. There was nothing noteworthy, so she emptied it out and slung it over her shoulder. Just in case she needed to carry anything that wouldn't fit in the pockets of her scrubs.

Sighing, and resigning herself, Kim pushed open one of the front doors and stepped out into the sunshine.

Outside was no better. The streets were looking the same as the hospital corridors. Cars overturned or parked haphazardly. The street was littered with any number of everyday objects. It was as if everyone had panicked, dropped what they were doing, and ran away.

"Hello!!" The teen hero cried out.

There was still no response.

Her town, once so full of life, was now seemingly devoid of it.

"Where is everyone??"

The vacant streets didn't offer up any sort of answer.

Sighing heavily, she began to walk.

"It's like I fell asleep watching a horror movie or something…."

_

* * *

To Be Continued…_

**

* * *

A/N**: Slow start, I know. More where this came from, though. If anyone is interested. Until next time.


	2. Horror

**A/N**: Thanks for the reviews, guys. They gave me courage to continue. Someone once asked on Myspace, if you were stuck in a mall full of zombies, what weapon would you chose and what music would be playing? I said I wanted a really sharp sword and 'Time of Dying' by Three Days Grace.

Lyrics:_  
I will not die__  
I'll wait here for you__  
I will not die__  
When you're beside me  
I will not die  
I'll wait here for you  
In my time of dying – _Time of Dying, Three Days Grace

Survival, Part 2:

Horror

By Melissa

* * *

"Did the apocalypse happen and no one bothered to wake me?? Did Dr. Drakken finally succeed with one of his schemes?" This could be plausible, seeing as Kim wasn't around to stop him. But then she remembered that it was Drakken, after all. The chances of one of his plans working was slim enough as it was.

This situation had been pseudo comical at first, but it was quickly becoming frightening.

Her wanderings eventually took her in the vicinity of a church. The double front doors were ajar. She walked up to the door and pushed it open. Surely someone would be inside.

Kim was about to find out just how right and wrong that thought really was.

The smell that assaulted her almost took her off her feet. She fought the violent urge to gag. Had anything been in her stomach, it surely would have emptied itself.

"Oh God…"

It looked as though the Almighty wasn't around at the moment.

There were bodies, a whole lot of them. Sitting in pews, lying on the floor, strewn almost every conceivable place.

Kim had wanted to find people. She supposed she should have been a bit more specific about their state of being.

What had killed them? Natural disaster? Attack of some kind? Disease? She wasn't going to get close enough to find out.

The young girl retreated out of the church, turned mausoleum, back into the fresh air. She sucked in big breaths of it, trying to rid her sinuses of the horrid stench of death; and her mind of the horrible image.

The sun was slowly going down. Next item on the agenda was that she was to find somewhere to spend the night. Preferably somewhere indoors and body-less.

Somewhere out of the corner of her eye she saw movement. Turning towards it, she scanned the area.

"Hello?" she called out.

Standing in the ever increasing shadows, by a house, was someone. From the height and build it appeared to be a man.

"Oh, thank heavens! You are the first person I've come across!! Can you tell me what is going on? Where is everyone??"

The man did not answer. He stepped from the shadows and it was immediately obvious something was not right. He just made unintelligible noises, and continued to advance towards where she stood. His eyes were blood red, clothing torn and ripped, and stained with something Kim was fairly sure was not spaghetti sauce.

"Sir?"

He 'ran,' if you could call it that, towards her. Staggering was more like it, with arms outstretched. She dodged out of the way of his clumsy attempt to grab her.

"Okay, handsy. Let's calm down for a second."

He rounded, not pleased about having missed his quarry. He roared and tried again. Kim raised her hands to defend herself.

"Run!!"

Kim and the man turned towards the sound. A figure, dressed in dark clothing and a ski mask was running towards them. In their hand was a bottle, with a burning piece of cloth coming out of the neck. The new player threw the bottle and it broke against the man, dousing him in liquid. Which very quickly caught fire.

He screamed.

Kim was in disbelief.

Suddenly another being was on the scene, acting much like the one that was on fire. Blood red eyes looked hungrily at the red head. It took advantage of the distraction and pseudo tackled Kim to the ground.

The surprise didn't last long and Kim rolled with the momentum. The woman was clawing at her savagely, but missing, and appeared to be trying to bite her. Kim scrambled to her feet and kicked the woman in the chest, to keep her away from her person.

The person in black pulled a machete from off their back and began hacking at the woman. She screeched before getting beheaded.

The blade wielding person grabbed Kim's arm and began to run away from the still flaming man.

The red head really wanted answers to what was going on, but this did not seem like the appropriate time or place. She allowed herself to be lead away from the chaos.

They ran a short ways to a small strip mall. The mysterious person ran to one of a one roomed convenience stores with a pull down gate. There was a small gap which they pushed Kim through before climbing through themselves. Once inside, they pushed a large metal rack in front of the gap. The person, breathing heavily, looked outside.

Luckily they had not been followed.

Kim tried to catch her breath. She was still weak from being in the hospital, and the exertion was taking its toll.

Her companion suddenly rounded on her.

"Are you bleeding? Were you bitten??" The figure yelled at her, once again brandishing weapons, this time at Kim.

"What???"

"ARE YOU BLEEDING??"

"No!" Kim yelled back.

The person ripped off the ski mask they were wearing. The teen hero couldn't believe her eyes.

Shego was holding a gun in one hand, aimed directly at her head. The machete was in the other, poised as well.

Shego eyed Kim, looking for evidence that she was actively bleeding. Any break in the skin and the older girl was going to have to put a bullet in the brain of the only worthy adversary she had ever known.

While she and Kim Possible had fought, the intention had never been to 'really' harm her. And the thought of killing Kim had never even remotely entered the older girl's mind. They had traded insults, blows, bruises and the occasional broken bone. That was it.

Until now.

If Kim was bitten, she was going to become one of those things. Self preservation was only part of the equation. Shego didn't want to see the girl become one of those monsters. A mercy killing was the least she could do.

A handful of tense seconds passed. Each girl was breathing heavily, waiting to see what the other would do. If anything.

"Shego?"

"Yeah?"

What was supposed to come out: 'What is going on?' came out more like: "Could you point that gun somewhere else?"

Shego blinked. Kim wasn't exhibiting any signs of changing. She lowered the gun and the machete so they hung by her sides.

Kim had had enough.

"What in all of heaven or hell is going on???"

Shego blinked. "We're definitely closer to the 'hell' part of it…"

The black haired girl holstered the gun and put the machete back in the holder on her back. She looked back at the younger girl as if seeing her for the first time.

"That's right…you were in a coma."

"All sorts of duh there, Shego." Kim said, scathingly. "One minute I'm escaping from the Seniors and the next I'm in a post apocalyptic world with no rhyme or reason to it!! Everyone is gone except for a church full of dead people, a man and woman who wanted to take a bite out of my hide and my arch nemesis who saved me from them!"

The villainess used the back of her hand to try and hide a smile. It really wasn't funny, but hearing Kim rant was humorous. And there had certainly been a lack of things to smile about.

Composing herself, Shego went into an explanation.

"Well, Pumpkin, obviously something went horribly wrong while you were taking an extended nap. Details are sketchy, but the consensus seems to be that in a lab somewhere, they were working on a virus. And it mutated. I think they were calling it 'the Rage,' for a while. It made you this mindless…thing, with a pension for eating human flesh, it seems. It's spread by saliva and blood. So if you don't die, you become one of them. And the change is almost immediate. That's why I asked you if you had been bitten. The _disease,_" Shego made air quotes, "spread quickly. Panic set in. People tried to escape, but the government practically quarantined the whole city to try and keep the virus from spreading." She paused and shook her head. "A lot of people who were trapped here ended up killing themselves. That was the lesser of two evils."

Kim nodded slowly. That must have been what happened in the church.

"And it doesn't matter if it is your mother, brother, father, aunt, uncle, cousin or best friend since forever. If they become infected you have about 15 seconds to kill them before they change. It may be wearing their face, but it's not them. Not anymore."

The red head swallowed hard. Kill someone she loved? She wasn't sure if she could bring herself to do that.

"I know its sounds crazy…"

The younger of the two scoffed. "Crazy? We passed that _several_ exits back, Shego…"

Kim did have a point. "Hell of a thing to wake up to, huh?"

Kim looked at her plaintively, as if asking her not to joke.

Shego shrugged. "Here, eat something. Keep your strength up."

Kim looked around. There was nothing but sugar as far as the eye could see. Not exactly what she was craving. At least there was bottled water though.

"It's not a suggestion, Princess."

The redhead bit back a retort. She was weary and didn't feel like verbally fighting.

The older girl grabbed a couple of candy bars and threw one to Kim. Her stomach was practically mewling in protest, having not quite recovered from early in the day.

They sat in silence for a little while, each lost in their own thoughts.

Kim eventually broke the quiet.

"Why didn't you just plasma them?"

"What?"

"Your powers. Why didn't you use them on those…things? You never seemed to have a problem using them when we fight."

Shego laughed, but it was humorless. Kim had a point.

"Take your pick, Pumpkin. Poor diet, stress, practically no sleep, things trying their best to eat my face…among countless other problems. It doesn't lend itself to normalcy, which includes my powers. I only light up if absolutely necessary. I have no way of knowing how long it will last, and the power expenditure will zap my energy like nobody's business. I can't exactly not have my wits about me, you know?"

That made sense.

A thought suddenly occurred to the teen hero.

"My parents!!"

The outburst surprised them both.

"I have to get to them! I have to see if they are okay!"

This earned a reproachful look. "Calm down, craziness. We're not going anywhere tonight."

Shego may have been a villain, but she didn't have the heart to tell Kim that if her parents hadn't left the city, early on in the crisis, in all likelihood they were dead.

"Why not??" Kim demanded.

"Remember your fiery friend? There will be a whole lot more where he came from. They like to come out at night. We wouldn't get more than a few blocks before getting swarmed."

Kim knew Shego was right, but that didn't quell the desire to leave.

The older girl got up and rummaged around the contents of the store. She had turned it into a sort of make shift bunker. She came up with some blankets, which she tossed to Kim.

"Get some rest, Kimmie. That's all we can do until daybreak."

Sleep was so the last thing her mind. She sat there looking very dejected.

"Is it stupid to wish that if I go to sleep that when I wake up and the world will be back to normal?" Kim cringed, waiting for the surely sarcastic reaction.

"No," Shego said simply. "I wish that every night. Go to sleep, Pumpkin. I'll keep watch."

Kim hunkered down under the blankets. Sleep wasn't going to come, and she knew this.

"Thank you," the younger girl said quietly. She wasn't sure why the villainess had saved her life. She could have just left her to be killed and eaten. Kim made a small mental note to ask about that, some other time.

Shego didn't respond verbally. She just inclined her head slightly in acknowledgement.

Outside, noises of things not human could be heard.

And they were very, very close.

_

* * *

To Be Continued…_

* * *

A/N: Thoughts? I'm having fun with this one.


	3. Discovery

**A/N: Thanks for the nice reviews, everyone. And it seems a fair amount of people have put this on their alert list. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy.**

Lyrics:  
_The Broken clock is a comfort  
It helps me sleep tonight  
Maybe it can stop tomorrow  
From stealing all my time  
And I am here still waiting  
Though I still have my doubts  
I am damaged at best  
Like you've already figured out_ - Broken, Lifehouse

Survival, Part 3:

Discovery

By Melissa

* * *

They had left their bunker when the sun was firmly in the sky. Kim had wanted to leave much earlier, but Shego wouldn't have it. There was a very good chance that some infected were roaming about, even in the early hours.

Kim had gotten a good 5 or 6 minutes of sleep that night. After all that time she had spent in a coma, her body wasn't very keen on returning to that state, even temporarily. Her mind wasn't too keen on that notion either.

The walk to her house was going much slower than Kim would have liked. For every step she took, it seemed like the house moved one step further away. Despite it being daylight, they still had to be careful.

Shego whistled as they walked, a baseball bat laying against her shoulder, a bag and her machete on her back. Despite the seemingly relaxed appearance, she was keeping a very close eye on their surroundings.

Eventually, Kim's home came into sight.

The house looked the same as it always had from the outside. The back door was open, and part of Kim expected her mother to be in kitchen making a meal. And her father to be sitting at the table talking about his day.

They were no where to be seen.

"Mom? Dad?"

No response was the only thing that greeted her call.

Kim was really, really beginning to hate the silence. No voices, no dogs barking, no children playing, no cars moving, nothing.

She passed through the kitchen into the dining room and then into the living room. No one was there.

That left the upstairs.

As soon as she started up the stairs, Kim noticed something horrible in the air. It was cloying, thick, and retched.

It smelled like death.

She grabbed the railing so hard her knuckles turned white. She didn't want to go any further, but her legs continued on unabated. She had to know for sure.

At the top of the stairs she turned to the left. This walk was far shorter than she had wished it to be. The smell was getting worse with each footstep.

Pushing open the bedroom door, she shut her eyes.

"Please no please no please no…" she whispered.

She opened her eyes. Her prayers had gone unanswered.

On the bed lay her parents. They had been dead for several days. Her mother was laying on her side, curled into her father who was on his back.

On the nightstand were several bottles of pills and an empty bottle of wine.

She would have sobbed if that action didn't have to cause her to inhale deeply. She covered her mouth with the back of her hand, tears forming at the corner of her eyes.

On top of her father's chest, under her mother's hand, was something written on a piece of paper.

Gently removing the object she read:

_Kim-_

_With endless love, we left you sleeping. Now we're sleeping with you. Don't wake up._

_-Mom and Dad_

Turning it over, she saw that the piece of paper was really a picture of herself, taken about a decade ago.

Kim inched out of her parents room and staggered down the hallway to her room. She crawled onto her bed and brought her knees up to her chest. Tears carved their way down her cheeks in torrents.

She was still in a coma. She had to be. "Wake up," she sobbed plaintively to herself. "Wake up!!"

Shego hung out in the kitchen, munching on a box of crackers she had found unopened in the pantry.

The lack of noise signaled to the thief that Kim must not have found her parents. She reasoned that there would have been shouts of joy if she had.

"What is taking so long?" Shego asked aloud to the empty kitchen. Placing the box on the counter she headed through the house looking for Kim.

Upon reaching the stairs, she was assaulted by the same smell that had hit Kim.

"Oh damn…"

It didn't take her long to find the red head, in the fetal position on her bed. Shego leaned against the door frame, unsure of what to do.

"Kim, you should pack some clothes and…weapons. We should get out of here."

The younger girl didn't respond.

"Oookay. We can stay for a little while." She paused. "Do you happen to have a generator here?"

Her red rimmed eyes did not look at the other girl. "In the basement."

"Good. I'll see if I can get it going. We might as well grab a hot shower. Since we don't know when the next time will be."

Now the jade green eyes snapped to her. "Is that all you care about?" The whisper was low, and bordering on dangerous.

"Essentially, yeah. And maybe grabbing something to eat. We can't stay in any one place too long, Kitten. It just isn't safe."

Kim uncurled herself, slow and deliberate. "My parents are lying dead down the hallway!"

"I don't think they'll mind at all." Shego took her eyes off of Kim for a moment, and it would prove to be a mistake.

Kim crossed the distance in a blink of an eye. She slapped Shego so hard it echoed in the small space.

She raised her hand to strike again, but Shego recovered from the surprise attack. She grabbed Kim's wrist and dug the claws on her gloved into it, hard.

"Look," she said in a low voice, "I'm going to overlook that. Just this _once_. But you better keep your hands to yourself, Princess. Or I am going to go against my rule about lighting up."

"Try it." Kim called her bluff.

Both were breathing heavily, and staring into each other's eyes, but neither moved. Shego finally let go of Kim's wrist. Small dots of blood dotted the hero's skin where the claws had latched on.

Shego turned and spoke as she did so. "If you want to stay, then suit yourself, Pumpkin. Nothing is here for you. It doesn't make a lick of difference to me though. Let's face the facts, you really need me more than I need you."

A pained look crossed Kim's face. Shego didn't see it, but she knew her remark had hit home.

Kim sat on her bed, cradling her wrist. Shego was right, though Kim was loathe to admit it.

Wiping her eyes, she bent over and looked under her bed. She grabbed a duffel bag and started to fill it with clothes and various items.

About 15 minutes went buy when there was a low hum and a flickering of lights in the house. Kim glanced up from her rummaging, noticing.

'She must have got the generator working,' Kim thought to herself.

The thief came up from the basement, wiping her hands. She was looking forward to a hot shower.

Kim was waiting by the bathroom, her packed duffel bag sitting at her feet. Shego looked at her warily. Her cheek still stung slightly from when Kim had hauled off and slapped her.

The younger girl was looking down. She mumbled something.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"You're right, alright! I need you more than you need me. I…I don't want to stay here. I want to leave. With you."

The black haired villainess looked at the hero. If Kim was not here, she would be alone. And it would only be a matter of time. There were moments when Shego thought it would be better if she put the handgun in her mouth and pull the trigger. Despite the attitude she displayed, she was sorry for that crack she had said about Kim's parents.

"Kimmie…I…" The apology steadfastly refused to be ripped from Shego's throat. She looked away, disgusted with herself. "There's strength in numbers," she finally said.

'You're a coward," her heart said.

'Shut up,' her mind replied.

They both took a shower, and grabbed some food from the pantry. Kim had changed out the scrubs she had on, now in her usual cargo pants and black top. She had found some clothes for Shego to wear. They were a little snug on the older girl, but then again, Shego wore tight cat suits most of the time.

Sitting in the kitchen eating, Kim turned on the radio. She began fiddling with the tuning knob.

"I don't know how much good that will do, Pumpkin. There haven't been any broadcasts for weeks."

She kept tuning anyway. As she got to the end of the spectrum, she barely heard something. Playing with it a bit more, she turned up the volume.

"To anyone alive out there. We are soldiers stationed 27 miles northeast of the city, in a barricaded compound. We offer protection from the infected! A cure has been found! Salvation is at hand!!"

The two girls looked at one another. A few moments went by and the message repeated itself.

Kim broke the silence. "Thoughts?"

Shego shrugged. "Beats staying in the city, waiting to be eaten."

Kim nodded slowly. The broadcast must have been referring to a small town Kim new to be about that distance and direction from Middleton.

"Aren't you worried about being arrested by the military?"

The green skinned girl laughed slightly. "Pumpkin, if they want to _try_ and arrest me, they can. But I think their priorities, like ours, are much bigger on the cosmic scale of things. It's not like you are trying to haul me in."

"This is true," Kim conceded.

It was settled then. That was their destination.

"Grab your stuff, Kimmie. Let's find ourselves a sweet ride."

_

* * *

To Be Continued…_

* * *

**A/N: I didn't really want to kill the Drs. Possible, but that is what happened in the movie. I originally tried to work around it, but it was for naught. Until next time.**


	4. Journey

**A/N: This was actually part of the last chapter, but I broke it up. I haven't had this kind of burst of creativity in a while. Not knocking it, though. Let's hope it continues. **

Lyrics:_  
I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing  
With a broken heart that's still beating  
In the pain there is healing  
In your name I find meaning  
So I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on  
I'm barely holdin' on to you_ – Broken, Lifehouse

Survival, Part 4:

Journey

By Melissa

* * *

It took some searching up and down the street, but they eventually found an abandoned car that had both the keys in it and some gas in the tank. It was a small foreign made car. Tossing their belongings in the back, they set about trying to get out of the city.

This was going to prove easier said than done.

The streets were hazardous, to say the least. Abandoned cars, trash, even some bodies were making their chosen path hazardous.

Trying to avoid all the obstacles was proving both time and gas consuming. Getting a little fed-up, Shego whipped the wheel and found the nearest parking lot.

"We need a new ride, Princess," she said to Kim's look.

The looked around before Shego found what she was looking for. A small SUV.

They got on the road again. "That's much better. Especially for the route we are going to have to take."

Kim looked at her quizzically, but her unspoken question was soon answered.

The roads heading out of town were hopelessly clogged with traffic that certainly wouldn't be going anywhere for a while.

They were going to have to take a very circuitous route to get to where they wanted to go.

The back roads would take time, but that was really all they had.

The SUV made slow progress. At one point, something caught Kim's eye.

"Stop the car."

"What??"

"Go back to that little road we just passed."

Shego looked at her if she had lost her mind. "Are you insane? We are supposed to be going this way."

"Just trust me. Go down that little road."

The older woman sighed and turned the vehicle around, and went down the small road. She couldn't say no to Kim when she looked at her like that.

At the end was a grocery store. Shego's eyes widened. Kim just smiled.

Parking, they went up to it. The automatic doors opened for them. It seems the grocery store still had power. This was odd, but they weren't going to knock it. Perhaps being away from the main city it had survived, in a manner of speaking.

They took a few tentative steps inside, listening carefully. Nothing could be heard, especially not the sound of any of the infected. There was nothing quiet about anything they did.

The girls grinned, each grabbing a cart, and then both broke off running.

The first section was the produce. While much of it had seen better days, there was some that was still good.

Kim bit into an apple, and moaned. Shego stopped her search nearby and faced the red head, eyes wide.

"This has to be the best thing I've ever put in my mouth."

Shego blinked once before doubling over in laughter. Kim looked at her, confused. After a few seconds, it dawned on her what she had said. Picking up another apple she threw it at Shego. It bounced off of her shoulder.

"You're a pervert, you know that?"

"You said it, Princess, not me," she said between giggles.

Kim smirked. It actually felt good to laugh. She continued to bag up some fruit.

The girls continued looking around, grabbing mostly canned items. And, just as important, a can opener. Shego also picked up a couple of bottles of premium liquor.

While rummaging around, Shego spotted something on very top of one of the aisles. She smiled.

"Hey Princess!!"

"Yeah?" Kim poked her head up, looking for the voice.

The older girl held up a portable Styrofoam cooler from way down the aisle. "It'll probably only last a day or two at most, but go grab something cold and I'll find some ice."

Kim's eyes widened in surprise and delight. She had been ecstatic over the fact that they were going to have food that was other than candy bars and soda. But to have something perishable…that was almost like being in heaven. She jogged over to the refrigerated section. She grabbed a carton of eggs and some bacon. They could have them for dinner tonight, and breakfast tomorrow. Obviously the ice would eventually melt, but she would take this as a small victory. Kim also took a small container of half and half, which hadn't reached its expiration date yet. That could go with the coffee she had seen Shego with earlier.

The girls finished their 'shopping' and loaded their food into their vehicle, before then climbed in themselves.

"Good idea, Princess."

"Thanks."

"How does it feel to be a thief?" Shego grinned at her.

Kim looked at her, mortified. "What?..I…"

"Pumpkin, calm down. I'm messing with you. I hardly think stealing to survive really counts. Diamonds, yes. Canned peaches, no."

Kim huffed slightly. She really should learn not to rise when Shego was baiting her.

They drove for a while, heading west before they could head north. Stupid non direct roads.

It was starting to get dark, when Shego looked over at her passenger. Kim had nodded off against the seat. She looked…serene. The black haired girl really didn't want to wake her.

"Hey, Kimmie, we should probably find a place to crash. It's getting dark."

Kim cracked open her eyes at the voice and nodded slowly. She sighed deeply. When the waking world was the nightmare, the only respite was the brief moments of unconsciousness.

The country road they were on took them past a lake. Shego turned off the road and onto the grass. The SUV stopped a generous distance from the edge of the lake.

"As good a place as any. At least we're by some water."

The younger girl nodded. The woods that were nearby the lake made her nervous, though. She was hoping that it didn't hold any animals that weren't of the four legged variety.

Getting out and stretching, the two unlikely companions went down to the water's edge.

The lake was quiet and serene almost. And also very cold, Kim discovered as she dipped her hand in.

"It's going to be fun bathing. Hypothermia here I come."

"Didn't you just shower at your house?"

"Hey, I don't know when will be the last time. Besides, after being in a coma for so long, I cannot feel clean enough."

Shego smirked at her. "Go and grab the bucket out of the car."

Kim did as she was told and returned about a minute later with the item in question, as well items she would need to bathe.

The green skinned woman took the bucket and filled it up at the edge of the lake. She grinned at the younger girl. Kim briefly wondered if the thief was going to throw the water on her.

She put her hands on either side of the metal bucket. As the plasma ignited around her hands, the bucket began to turn red hot where she touched it. The water soon began a rolling boil.

"Don't use it right away, as it is quite hot. I am not too keen on freezing lake water myself."

Kim looked at her in shock. Shego returned the stare.

"What?"

"You…you didn't have to do that." Was all Kim could come up with.

Shego shrugged. "Take a 'bath,' Pumpkin." She used air quotes. "You'll feel better." She turned and walked away, to give the younger girl some privacy.

The young hero placed her towels, clean clothes and soap on the bank, and once she was sure Shego was far enough away, began to strip off her clothes.

Picking up the bucket by the handle, she placed it right on the edge of the lake. Picking up her washcloth and soap, she stepped in the water up to her ankles.

She gritted her teeth at the shock. At least this was only as far as she had to go.

Kim tested the water in the bucket, it having cooled slightly. While not boiling, it was blessedly hot. Dipping her washcloth in, she began using it to moisten her body. Once that was finished, she lathered up with some soap. After that was done, she leaned over and dipped her hair into the warm water. After shampooing her hair, as best as she was able, she picked up the bucket and slowly poured its contents over her entire body. It accomplished the task mostly. She bent over and dunked her hair into the lake, to get out the remaining soap.

'Better than nothing,' she mused to herself. The hot water was certainly nice. After tying back her wet hair, the hero began to get dressed once again.

Shego had collected some wood and started a small fire. At least they didn't have to worry about matched or a lighter. While Shego didn't want to use her powers unless needed, she could muster up enough to light a fire without any dire repercussions. The same with the bucket of water. Decent food had done wonders for her energy level.

She had very carefully kept her back to the lake, so as not to even be remotely tempted to get a closer look at what was transpiring.

'I will not ogle my nemesis. I will not ogle my nemesis.' Shego chanted in her mind as she busied herself.

Kim came back to the 'camp sight' dressed and her hair wrapped in a towel. The thief cut her eyes and watched the teenager, when she was sure she wasn't paying attention.

The evening progressed, and they had a dinner of some of the items that had picked up at the store. Kim lay on some blankets that were spread out on the ground. Shego sat on a rock nearby, sharpening the claws on her gloves.

"Why don't you try and get some sleep?"

The hero looked at the thief. "Believe me, at this point I would give anything for a decent amount." She paused. "How do you manage to get any rest?"

Shego's lips quirked in a half grin. She dug around in her backpack for a moment before tossing something to Kim. The younger girl deftly caught the item.

It was a container of pills. Kim looked at Shego questioningly.

"Valium."

Kim frowned slightly. "Is it a good idea to be drugged up?"

"Just enough to take the edge off, to not care quite so much. Without those, I wouldn't get any sleep whatsoever." She paused. "Take one. Get a little bit of rest." Off of Kim's look, she continued. "I'll stay up, keep an eye out."

Kim was a little apprehensive, but she wanted to get some rest so very badly. Taking one of the pills out, she swallowed it with a mouthful of water. Lying down, she stared up at the night sky, waiting for the pill to take effect.

"You should consider yourself lucky."

"Why is that?" The red head queried.

"I usually sleep naked."

That was pretty much the last thought as Kim, with the help of the drug, fell asleep. Along with it came dreams.

She had been going on missions like always, but they all ended the same. Villains were turned into those monsters; red eyes with a pension for wanting to devour human flesh. The Seniors, Monkey Fist, DNAmy, Killigan….even Bonnie. As much as she disliked her fellow cheerleader, no one deserved this fate. They would get the drop on her in the end, always did.

In the waking world, Shego watched the fire dance about. She was fairly certain they were safe out here from the 'zombies.' But if it would let Kim get some rest, she would sacrifice some of her own.

'When was the last time you sacrificed anything for anyone?' her heart asked her. 'She must be someone special to do that.'

'Shut up,' her mind said.

'If that is all you can constantly come up with, I must be right.'

Plaintive sounds brought the raven haired girl back to the present. Kim's brow was creased as her eyes moved rapidly under closed lids. Whimpering would occasionally escape slightly parted lips.

It was obvious to the one who was awake that Kim was having a nightmare. And from the looks of it, a very, very bad one. Shego shifted closed to her charge and laid a hand on her shoulder. She gently shook the younger girl.

"Kim," Shego said softly. "You're having a bad dream."

The red head cracked her eyes open and looked up groggily, but not seeing.

"Thanks, Mom." The redhead almost immediately went back to sleep.

For the first time in her life, Shego felt her heart break a little inside.

She had never been particularly close to her family, but she knew Kim was. The poor thing had woken up to a world where monsters roamed freely and her parents were dead. That's not something Shego would have wished on many people, especially not Kim Possible.

Shego moved so she was now lying down next to Kim, continuing to keep her eyes and ears open. Nothing but the crackling of the fire could be heard.

Kim suddenly rolled on her side and curled into the warm body next to her. Shego's eyes widened as Kim's arm found its way across her midsection. She stared up at the night sky.

"Very funny," she said quietly to the Powers That Be.

The fire had died down at one point in the early morning, and Shego extricated herself from Kim to locate some wood. She grabbed her machete and the flashlight.

When she came back from her search, Kim was awake and sitting up, her arms wrapped around her torso. Shego thought she saw relief in the young girl's eyes.

"You okay, Princess?"

"I woke up and…you weren't here. It was just like waking up in the hospital again." She shook her head, feeling foolish.

Shego dropped the wood by the fire circle and then crouched down next to Kim.

"You're cold." It was more of a statement than a question.

Kim nodded. Cold…and nervous. But Shego didn't need to know about the nervous part.

"Give me your hands."

The hero did as she was instructed, though looking more than a bit wary.

Shego's hands began to softly glow with a green light. Kim's eyes widened and she tried to yank her hands away. Burning flesh was not how she had imagined becoming warm.

Shego tightened her grip, preventing escape.

"What are you doing??" Kim's voice rose in panic. Green plasma didn't exactly evoke warm, fuzzy memories.

"Calm down, Pumpkin. I'm not going to hurt you."

It seems she was telling the truth. Kim felt warmth in her hands, not the burning she was expecting.

Looks like the plasma power could be regulated.

If Shego could control the temperature of her plasma, Kim wondered exactly how hot it actually reached when they were fighting. Sure, she had seen the plasma be destructive, but part of her wondered if it stayed that way all the time.

"I thought you were only going to light up if absolutely necessary?"

Uh-oh. Kim had caught her, somewhat.

"I think surviving is a necessity." Shego was proud to have thought of that comeback. It seemed plausible.

Kim arched a thin, red eyebrow. "I hardly think cold hands are a matter of survival. Or warm water."

Shego stared at their joined hands, concentrating, refusing to look into the other girl's eyes. She was also willing herself not to blush.

Kim smirked slightly, deciding to let it go when Shego declined to answer further. The big, bad thief seemed to have a soft spot after all.

"Better?"

Kim nodded, trying not to smile further.

Shego let go of her hands.

"C'mon, Princess. Let's get going before someone sees arch enemies holding hands."

Kim blushed and Shego smirked at that. They began to break camp, packing up their belongings.

Climbing back in the vehicle, they went on their way.

They eventually arrived at their destination, 27 miles northeast of the city. They stopped the SUV and got out at an abandoned gas station to survey the area.

"Do you see anyone?" Kim asked.

Her companion looked around. "Nope." She sighed. "Perhaps the broadcast was old." She didn't voice the other thought she had, which was that the soldiers were all dead.

"Damn," the red head whispered.

The two girls didn't realize that they were being watched, from a small mirror peaking out from around the corner of the gas station building. Two soldiers looked at one another and smiled. With a nod, they left their position, weapons in their hands.

Shego saw them first and raised the machete she was carrying. She took up a defensive position in front of Kim.

"Oh thank heavens," Kim said. "We found them." She stepped out from behind the black haired girl. Shego was less relieved than Kim was, though.

The camouflaged men took one look at the two, before raising the tasers they were carrying.

"Wait!" The two girls yelled in unison.

It was for naught as probes shot from the taser guns and hit both girls. They were shocked with an amazing amount of volts of electricity, and lost consciousness quickly. Shego and Kim slumped to the ground unceremoniously.

The men moved towards their prone forms.

"Hey," one said. "That looks like Kim Possible. Last I heard she was in a coma."

"I guess she woke up. And look who she is with."

"Is that…"

The other cut him off. "It appears so. I guess it's our lucky day."

_

* * *

To Be Continued…_

**

* * *

A/N: Action coming up in the next chapter or two. The infected were lacking in this chapter, but it won't stay that way. I promise. Until next time. **


	5. Trapped

**A/N: Here there be monsters, and not necessarily of the flesh eating variety. You'll see what I mean. It was mentioned that I seem to be following the movie pretty much to the letter. Sorry for so close parallel. I liked the movie and wanted to pay homage to it by using our favorite gals, but not changing too much else.**

Lyrics:

_Do you ever think when you're all alone  
All that we can be, where this thing can go?  
Am I crazy or falling in love?  
Is it real or just another crush?_

_Do you catch a breath when I look at you?  
Are you holding back like the way I do?  
'Cause I'm trying and trying to walk away  
But I know this crush ain't goin' away_ – Crush, David Archuletta

Survival, Part 5:

Trapped

By Melissa

* * *

Emerald colored eyes cracked open as the world swam into focus.

"Son of a…that freakin' _hurt_…"

She was laying on something with some give to it. Upon gaining her bearings, she saw she was on a bed. Where that bed was, she had no earthly idea. Sitting up, her hand brushed something. Or someone rather. Looking to her left, she saw Kim was next to her, still unconscious.

The fuzziness cleared slightly and she remembered the two of them getting shocked rather badly.

Oh, someone was going to pay for that. In spades.

Shego moved so she was now in a sitting position. They were in a bedroom of some sort. Their bags in a nearby corner.

Kim shifted and groaned next to her.

"She-go?" She put a hand to her head.

"Yeah, Princess?" The softness of her voice surprised the thief.

There was no mockery in Shego's tone as she used one of her many nicknames for the hero. It may have started out that way, but now the older girl found herself saying the name with…fondness? Reverence? She wasn't entirely sure. Whatever the exact way was, she had never imagined herself saying the words like that.

"Did you happen to get the license plate number of that truck that hit us?"

The thief smiled. "Yeah, I think it was B-Z-Z-Z-Z-T-T."

The corner of Kim's mouth twitched up slightly, her eyes still closed. Shego would have given all of her considerable wealth to kiss that corner at that moment.

'Whoa,' her mind said. 'What the _hell_ was that?'

'Stop pretending like you don't know,' her heart replied.

The younger girl's eyes cracked open slightly, only to be offended by the light from a nearby lamp.

"I don't get it," she groaned, trying to sit up. "Why did they attack us?"

"It could have been worse, Pumpkin. They could have killed us."

The creak of hinges stopped all conversation.

"Oh, look. The _firefly_ is awake."

Shego's eyes snapped to the voice. A couple of men wearing camouflage were standing in the doorway of the room they were in.

"Firefly??" She snarled at them. "Just who the fu.."

"Now, now. Be nice. The Commander would like to see the two of you." He patted his rifle. "No funny business please."

The thief smiled cruelly. Once he and all his friends were all together, she would show them some 'funny business.'

The girls followed one soldier, while the other trailed them. They went to the kitchen, where food was being served to several soldiers.

"Ah, our guests are awake. Introductions are in order. My name is Commander Ryan, and I am in charge here. Welcome to our stronghold."

Kim nodded, Shego merely stood there, shooting daggers with her eyes.

"Please forgive our initial introduction, but it was necessary."

"Why?" the hero asked, a little mystified.

"Not to put too fine a point on it, it is because of your green skinned companion there."

Shego snarled and attempted to light up, this being a situation where someone was definitely going to pay. She was not a fan of authority figures, and they had tased her and Kim without cause. Well, Kim anyway. Shego was fairly certain she would have gotten tased if she had been just walking down a street, minding her own business.

Nothing happened.

She stared in horror at her flameless hands. Her powers may have been weak, but they had never totally failed to assert themselves before.

She tried again, with the same result. Some of the men laughed.

She looked at the soldiers with unbridled rage. "You bastards!! What did you do to me??"

"You're an internationally wanted criminal, with one hell of a superpower. We had to 'neutralize' it.

"_Neutralize_ it?? Are you fucking insane??"

"Not in the least."

Shego just stared at him. "We need all the help we can get against those monsters and you 'neutralize' my powers?? _How???_"

"We are quite safe, I assure you."

The younger girl grabbed her companion, to keep her from attacking the soldiers, but Kim was having a tough time holding Shego back. Her arms were around Shego's. It was difficult for the slightly shorter girl, but she held on. Having grown a few inches in the past few years had helped. Even though the soldiers had guns, the older woman was still trying to get at them. Plasma or not, guns or not, Shego would have done her best to tear them to bits.

"To answer your question, we used an implant. Quite ingenious really. We had been working on an external one, but no one could get ever get near enough to you to put it on. Plus you would probably just find a way to break it. With you being unconscious, an opportunity presented itself." His tone suddenly became very condescending. "We're all friends here. There's no need for your powers."

Shego doubted that very, very much.

Kim leaned forward so her mouth was next to Shego's ear.

"Calm down," she said as quietly as she could. "There's nothing we can do about it…now."

Shego stopped struggling as hard, trying not to focus on how warm Kim's breath was, and the fact that her body was pressed into her back. She hated to admit it, but Pumpkin was right. The hero released her grip on the older girl once she had calmed down.

"That's better," the commander drawled. "Why don't you calm down for a little bit? Then we can all get back to the business of being civilized."

"Perhaps we can pick this up tomorrow? My companion and I are tired. It would be nice to get some rest."

The Commander nodded, and Kim pulled on Shego's arm, and they went back to the room they had woken up in.

Shego didn't like him, or his men. Or the way their eyes roved over Kim's body. The older girl was used to men looking at her that way, so it didn't bother her as much as it should have. Her skin crawled though, with how the soldiers looked at Kim.

Kim took perch upon the bed while Shego paced around like a caged animal.

"I don't like this, Pumpkin."

"I'm not such a huge fan of it myself. They're acting strange."

Shego clenched her fists. All she could do was stare at them while they failed to ignite in green flames.

"Where the hell is that implant…" she grumbled.

Kim perked up. At least there was something constructive to do. "Let's find it. Maybe if we do we can remove it."

Shego arched a dark eyebrow at Kim. "You just want to get me out of these clothes."

The shade of red Kim turned was amazing, and the thief had to keep herself from laughing out loud.

"You need another set of eyes, unless you managed to grow them in the back of your head."

Shego shrugged. She pulled off the slightly snug top the hero had let her borrow.

She glanced down at her very well defined torso. "Nothing up front. Well…not _nothing._" Kim tried to look anywhere but at the older girl.

Shego normally would have taken a lot of pleasure in 'torturing' Kim with her scantily clad body, but there really were more pressing matters at hand. She turned around so her back was to the red head. Kim risked a look, and was surprised to find herself disappointed Shego had turned away from her.

"Anything?"

Kim blinked a few times, trying to clear her head. Her back was unblemished, save for the black material of her bra straps.

"N-no."

"Where did those bastards put it??"

Kim swallowed. If the pants came off Shego's svelte form she might just pass out.

"Wait. Hold up your hair for a second."

Shego did as she was instructed. Using both of her hands she lifted up her long, black mane.

"Bingo. On your neck, near the base of your skull." Kim peered at the angry looking incision closely. "At least we found it. Does it hurt? How do we get it out?"

"No. They must have given me some painkillers, hoping it would heal before I found it. Given I heal pretty quickly. Too bad we don't have a knife. I bet you anything our friends downstairs went through our stuff and took out anything 'dangerous.'"

Kim picked up one of the duffel bags off the floor. She went through the contents quickly, discovering they had indeed been relieved of anything resembling a weapon.

"Like they did to you."

Shego smirked a little bit at that. Kim had referred to her as dangerous.

The hero looked thoughtful. "Do you think you can steal a knife off of one of them?"

"_Think_ I can? Kimmie, I'm trying not to be offended by that."

"Sorry," Kim apologized sheepishly. Shego was a master thief after all.

"What's in the closet over there?"

Kim got up and opened the door. "Fatigues mostly."

"Toss me some. As much fun as it is wearing your tight clothes, I don't really want to give the idiots downstairs more ammunition for their, I'm sure, sick fantasies."

Kim tossed a camouflaged jacket to Shego, as well as a dark colored t-shirt. The older girl slipped them on.

* * *

The night passed without incident, before the girls decided to venture out of the room again. Most of that time was Kim convincing Shego to behave herself around the soldiers. The dark haired girl only reluctantly agreed.

The Commander and a soldier were in the main living room of the house.

"Where is everyone?" Kim queried.

"Most are out making sure we are safe. Are you both feeling more relaxed?"

Shego vowed to herself she would smack the hell out of the Commander, if it was the last thing she would ever do. Kim took a seat on the couch.

"Yes," the younger girl answered simply.

"Come. I want to show you something."

The thief looked at the hero. Kim shook her head, indicating she would stay where she was. Shego shrugged and followed the officer. They stepped out on a small balcony.

The sky was very overcast, and threatening to rain.

"You wanted to show me a courtyard?"

"No. I wanted to show you what was in the courtyard."

Shego looked down and saw one of the infected being held captive.

"Are you insane? It's really not a good idea to have one of those things here. What if it gets loose?"

The commander smiled at her. "Look closer."

With a brow creased in confusion, she did. She then had to grab the railing to steady her weakened knees as comprehension set in.

The evil scientist that was once Dr. Drakken was chained up in part of the yard. He was trying to escape, to eat anything living. Eyes blood red and clothes severely tattered.

"No…"

"The infection spares no one, Shego. Not even villains."

"You're keeping him alive? What's the point? Just kill him. Put him out of his misery." If Shego had had control of her powers, she would have done it herself right then and there.

The Commander laughed. "He's going to teach me something. Primarily, I'll find out exactly how long it takes for one of those things to starve to death." He paused. "You used to work for him, yeah?"

"Something like that," Shego affirmed. She felt pity for her former employer. They might not have always gotten along, but he didn't deserve this. Not by a long shot.

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah. Me too."

Inside, the red head got off the couch and went to a nearby bookcase, and started to examine the tomes on it.

The soldier who had been in the room approached Kim. "How old are you, sweetheart?"

She cut him a sideways glance before turning to face him. "Nineteen."

"Legal, eh? You and I should have a drink. We have quite a stash." He was bordering on violating her personal space.

"I said nineteen, not twenty-one."

This guy was oozing creep factor. It made Kim uneasy. She inched sideways so that she wouldn't be trapped up against the bookcase.

"That wasn't the kind of legal I was talking about." He put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a lecherous grin.

Kim grabbed his arm and shirt and executed a judo throw. He hit the floor with a horrible thud.

"You bitch!" He scrambled to try and stand.

Kim took a defensive posture. If he pulled out his firearm, she was going to be in trouble. Hand to hand combat is one thing. Guns are an entirely different story.

Shego and the Commander heard the yell and ran back inside. They saw the younger girl in a martial arts pose and a soldier on the floor.

"Stop!!" Their commanding officer yelled. All movement in the room ceased. "Get up, Rodgers," he told the fallen soldier. "Go check on the defensive perimeter out front. Go!"

The soldier was not happy about being manhandled, or being dismissed in such a way. He shot Kim a death glare.

The raven haired girl went to Kim's side. She placed a gloved hands in hers, giving it a firm squeeze.

"I'm terribly sorry about that. A bit of cabin fever, I think, being cooped up here for so long."

"That's hardly an excuse," Shego's voice was as cold as steel.

"I think…I think maybe we should be on our way," Kim said quietly.

"I think I agree."

The officer's face went from smiling to stony in the blink of an eye.

"I'm afraid that isn't going to be possible. You can't leave."

"Why not?" Kim asked.

"Because we may be the last ones alive!! In the state! In the country! Maybe even the world!!"

Shego looked at him like he was a few cards short of a full deck. "That's a little extreme. We weren't infected. I don't want to eat your brains like they are a bowl of ice cream. I would bet that there are more people out there who escaped it as well. Somewhere."

"Somewhere isn't here. I can't let you go."

Kim and Shego looked at him incredulously.

"Who is going to stop us?" The sable haired villainess asked.

He pulled his handgun from its holster and cocked it, leveling it at the two that stood in front of him.

"I can't let you go," he repeated again. "I promised…I promised my men that there would be women."

Shego's eyes narrowed and Kim's eyes went wide.

"What?" The teen hero whispered, horrified.

"I couldn't lose control…It was chaos!! Everyone was close to turning on each other, or killing themselves. I needed to maintain order. They thought there was no future! I swore that if we came across any females, they could have them. You." He corrected.

Kim felt her knees go weak. Shego had let go of Kim's hand and put her arm around the small of her back. The black haired woman's arm around her waist was the only thing keeping her from hitting the ground. She and Shego were trapped in a compound with a lunatic, a starving zombie that once was Dr. Drakken, and a lot of armed men with less than noble intentions.

"You won't kill us." Shego decided to see if he was bluffing.

"I never said anything about killing you. I could blow out your kneecaps though. You may heal fast, Thief, but you'd be crippled for the rest of your life. Hard to run away that way."

He motioned with the gun that they should move.

They walked further into the main part of the house. Two soldiers were there. One was sitting on a chair while the other was smoking near one of the cracked windows.

Shego slowed her walking, causing the Commander to get within arms reach. She reached behind her and grabbed his wrist, forcing the handgun to point at the floor. She brought her opposite elbow up and smashed him square in the face. Blood flowed from his broken nose.

"Aaaugh!!"

The soldier on the couch shot up and ran towards them. Kim crouched low and kicked her foot out at his ankle. He tripped and fell unceremoniously to the floor.

The one by the window raised his gun, and shot several rounds into the floor, very near to where the girls were standing.

"Let go of him or I'll shoot." His voice was cool.

"You'll hit him too if you fire." The thief said matter of factly.

"No one said I'd be shooting at you." He moved the barrel of his rifle so it was pointed directly at Kim.

'Damnit,' she thought, as she let go of the commander's arm. He brought it up to his face to attempt to slow the flow of blood. Other soldiers came from elsewhere in the house due to the sound of gunfire. A few of them raised their rifles and pointed them at the girls.

"Take her into the woods." He gestured at Shego.

"But Sir! There will be one less if we kill her." The soldier who spoke looked very stricken at the prospect of permanently losing one of their captives.

The Commander looked at his men. "She will be too much trouble." His broken nose and rapidly swelling eye could already attest to that. "I can promise you." He sighed, deeply. "Take her into the woods, do whatever you want, and then kill her. Don't come back until it's done."

_

* * *

To Be Continued…_

**

* * *

A/N: Thoughts?**


	6. Savior

**A/N: I'm honestly having a great time writing this. Even though the idea wasn't mine. Sorry for the delay, guys. Life has been really unfun as of late. **

Lyrics:

_The broken locks were a warning you got inside my head__  
I tried my best to be guarded, I'm an open book instead__  
I still see your reflection inside of my eyes  
That are looking for purpose, they're still looking for life – _Broken, Lifehouse

Survival, Part 6:

Savior

By Melissa

* * *

"No!!" Kim cried out. The Commander had just passed sentence on Shego, for nothing more than trying to protect them.

One of the soldiers grabbed Kim and held her fast. He whispered to her, menacingly. "Your friend there is the lucky one. At least her pain will be over soon. You, though…I have plans for you."

Kim shivered with disgust. She began to struggle, but calm words stopped her.

"It'll be okay."

Shego looked into Kim's eyes as she said it, making a silent promise to go along with those words.

The hero stopped fighting against her captor. She desperately wanted to believe her companion, but she had no idea how it could even remotely come close to being okay.

A soldier stepped forward with some rope, and tied Shego's hands in front of her.

The dark haired girl laughed. "You neutralize my powers and still feel the need to tie my hands? What's the matter, fellas? Misplace your testicles?"

One soldier jabbed the barrel of his rifle sharply into Shego's back, indicating she should walk. Another soldier joined the first. He was leering at her tight t-shirt clad form. They left the house.

The walk into the woods didn't take as long as Shego would have liked. 'I guess that is the way it is when you are heading towards the gallows,' she thought to herself. Her hands were tied in front of her. That wouldn't be their last mistake.

They had walked deep into the trees. Shego noticed that rotting corpses were growing in number the further they walked.

"Okay. That's far enough."

One soldier advanced forward, the knife on the end of his automatic rifle still poised. He probably should have just shot her.

"Who gets her first?"

"Since I outrank you, I'm going to say….me."

"You don't outrank me."

"Well, I've been in longer than you."

Shego rolled her eyes. It was pointless in fighting about it, because neither one of them was going to 'get her.'

The one soldier turned on the other, pushing him. They tussled, and momentarily forgot about their charge.

That was all she needed. In the chaos, Shego ran a short distance and then flung herself amongst the bodies lying on the ground. The borrowed camouflage clothing was blending in very well with the scenery.

"Where'd she go??"

"Fuck! Look what you did!!"

"Me??"

"Shutup!! We have to find her!!"

Shego bit back a laugh as she listened to them. Morons.

They were firing wildly, hitting foliage and corpses with their bullets. Hoping, praying really, that they might end up shooting their suddenly missing captive.

"Stupid implant," she snarled. She would have flambéed these idiots in a heartbeat, had her plasma not been affected by the gizmo embedded in her neck. Not enough to kill, but definitely enough to make them regret some of their more recent choices.

They were running around, with no rhyme or reason.

She could hear them moving away and she slowly got up. As quietly as she could, she took refuge behind a large tree. Picking up a piece of fallen branch, she threw it off to her right.

Shego was rewarded with the sound of bullets flying and footsteps running towards her. "Check over there!"

She was relieved that there was only one pair of footsteps to he heard.

'C'mon…just a little closer…'

The soldier just barely came into view around the edge of the tree when Shego swung her elbow, catching him in the throat. A sound of muffled agony tried to escape his injured windpipe. He fell to his knees. Grabbing the back of his head, she brought it down as she brought her knee up. The sickening 'crack' made her smile as he dropped unconscious to the forest floor.

Grabbing his weapons, Shego hefted the rifle on her shoulder, and putting a knife in her belt.

The other soldier wasn't too hard to find, because he had begun calling for his partner.

The villain made short work of him by putting a bullet into each of his knees, and relieved him of his weapons as well.

As she turned to walk away he called out.

"You can't leave me here!"

The dark haired woman turned back to him. "It'll be dark eventually. Your 'friends' will show up and keep you company. Or eat your face."

With that she left her captors, intending to keep her promise to Kim.

* * *

Powers or no, Shego was a force to be reckoned with.

She made it back to compound, slower than she wanted. She needed to be stealthy. It wouldn't do to be captured again.

Scaling a wall, she took purchase on the ledge above the courtyard. She was going to need a distraction. Normally she would have been disgusted with herself for needing the help, but without her plasma she was a slight disadvantage against a bunch of armed men.

Taking aim, Shego fired the rifle at where the chain was anchored, near where Dr. Drakken stood. The bullets snapped the chain holding him to the ground.

"Well, Dr. D., you always did want to inflict a little chaos. Here's your chance."

The monster didn't wait long before it ran into the compound, in search of human flesh.

Inside, Kim sat in the corner of the couch. Most of the soldiers were milling about. The one who had taken a liking to her was meandering around the room she was in.

Despite the outward quiet, Kim's heart was going a million miles a minute.

Kim glanced at the soldier. An unpleasant smile played at her lips. She decided to plant the seeds of unease.

"Don't you think they should have been back by now?"

The soldier glanced at her and then back at the window. He knew exactly what she was trying to do. "The reason they aren't back yet is their making your little friend scream." He tried to smile cruelly, but it didn't quite reach his concerned filled eyes. The young girl was right. The others should have been back, long before now.

The hero stared at him, her upper lip curling into a snarl. "Or she's making them scream." There was a deadly pause. "And not in a good way."

Both of them suddenly whipped around at the sound of yelling. A soldier ran past room, arms failing and moving quickly.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" Kim's captor yelled after his fleeing colleague.

That was answered swiftly as Dr. Drakken came into view. His red eyes searching wildly for someone to eat.

The soldier raised his gun and shot at Drakken, while yelling for backup. Some bullets hit him, but he didn't drop. Instead, he advanced.

Kim took the distraction as a hint and ran.

She didn't know where she was going, but she could here yelling, running and gunfire.

If she hadn't been so worried about dying, Kim would have laughed at the fact that grown men were screaming like little girls.

Running into an empty room she shut the door. Laying on the bed was Shego's machete. Picking it up, she tucked it into her belt. Then she looked around the room.

There was no window.

"Great…" she said quietly to herself.

Kim walked back to the door, intent on leaving. Her hand froze centimeters from the knob as she heard heavy footsteps on the other side.

As well as guttural sounds and heavy breathing.

Kim whirled around. She was fairly certain that was not a soldier on the other side. Or if it was, he was decidedly not human any longer.

'Not that they were really all that human to begin with,' Kim thought briefly.

She thought briefly about hiding under the bed. Nixing that, there was a large standing mirror in the corner of them room. She hoped it would hold her weight.

Quickly, Kim hung on the back of the mirror. The thing burst into the room. Staggered steps could be heard as it investigated. Kim's arms burned and ached from the exertion it was taking to keep her hidden. There was no rhyme or reason to them, they were mindless; reckless. And all that would need to happen is for one of them to bite her, or their blood to get in her mouth or eyes.

The creature seemed to be caught up in its reflection. Kim didn't know how much longer she could hang on. She was thanking whatever deities were listening that the zombies weren't the sharpest knives in the drawer.

With a snarl it left the room in search of prey. Slowly Kim lowered herself to the floor. Taking care to be quiet, she snuck out of the room.

She didn't make it far until someone grabbed her and she let out a yelp of surprise.

It was the soldier who had an unnatural fascination with her. He dragged her into a room. This one thankfully had a window.

"It'll be just you and me, sweetheart," he hissed in her ear. "We will get out of here, together."

He was looking out the window, plotting their escape. He didn't notice a figure standing in the doorway.

It was Shego. And she was pissed. Having had a brief run in with another soldier in her search for Kim, he had gotten a lucky blow kicking her in the ribs. She had still prevailed, but she was hurting.

The soldier holding Kim never had the chance to swing his gun around, Shego was on him so quickly. It clattered uselessly to the floor.

Kim was forgotten, and she backed up into a corner of the room. She slowly removed the machete from her belt, holding it defensively in front of her.

Shego was going to town on the soldier. She was hitting his head so hard into the wall repeatedly, blood spatter created a pseudo halo effect. The irony of that was not lost.

She threw him to the floor, straddling his body. She dug her thumbs into his eyes. He screamed.

"This. Is. What. You. Get. For. Looking. At. Her." Each word was short and clipped, and could barely be heard over the horrifying sounds escaping from his throat.

Satisfied with her handiwork, she stood and gave him a vicious kick. He wasn't dead, and he just curled into a ball, blinded and barely conscious.

Shego turned and faced Kim. There was no where to go. The thief was breathing raggedly from her exertion, and her injuries. She walked slowly, almost menacingly, towards Kim.

Kim raised the machete, preparing to bring it down on Shego. A tear escaped the corner of her eye.

On the downswing it stopped a hair's breadth from the older girl's torso.

Kim blinked.

Shego's eyes were green.

Not red.

They were green.

And the most beautiful color green Kim had ever been privileged enough to witness.

She threw the blade away and tackled the older woman in a monster embrace. Shego barely had time to catch Kim and support her weight. The older woman had to keep from screaming in pain due to her surely cracked ribs.

"They're green!" Kim yelled.

"What??" Shego hissed through clenched teeth, confused and in more than a bit of pain.

"Your eyes are green!!"

"Aren't they always?" She honestly had no idea what Kim was going on about.

"You're not a zombie!!"

"Not the last time I checked…"

"How did you escape??"

"Easy there, Pumpkin. Running now, questions later. We need to leave. Like so five minutes ago."

The girls moved quickly, but quietly through the house. The front door was opened, and beckoned to them.

They were only a few steps beyond it when words and the sound of a gun being cocked stopped them in their tracks.

"You killed my boys."

"If you want to get technical, Dr D. killed them. And or turned them." She paused, and mockingly brought her finger to her chin in thought. "The guy that is missing his eyeballs though…that I will admit to."

"You set that monster loose!!"

Shego shrugged. "You got me there. But as long as we are casting blame, how about you keeping one of those monsters chained up in the compound. Then there was the trying to kill me like a dog. And…oh yeah, offering up Kim to your men!!"

Kim chimed in. "Maybe you should have let us leave when you had the chance."

The shot rang out, but the pain that Shego was sure was to accompany it never came. She cracked open her eyes and saw why. Kim had stepped in front of her, being shot instead. Luckily the recoil of the gun caused the shot to rise. It hit Kim in the shoulder as she stepped in front of Shego.

The younger woman screamed in pain.

"Oh God…" The villainess didn't even recognize her own voice.

The red haired girl grabbed her injured shoulder, trying to stem the flow of blood. Shego supported her weight and clamped her hands down on Kim's. Crimson began to seep out around their fingers.

The Commander smiled cruelly and pulled the trigger again. But the gun jammed.

He looked at Shego, but she hadn't moved from her position of supporting Kim. A sinister smile played across her dark lips. He vaguely wondered why she didn't have him by the throat, or some other part of his anatomy.

The chuckle he then heard was low and throaty, filled with…was that pity?

"W-what's so funny? You think you can gouge _my_ eyes out before I un-jam my gun??"

Shego arched a thin eyebrow, still smiling. "No," she stated simply. Her eyes shifted to somewhere over his shoulder. "But they might."

Standing behind them were the persons formally known as Dr. Drakken and one of the soldiers. Both were covered in blood, snarling with deep red eyes.

They ran towards the Commander and grabbed him, dragging him down to the ground. Shego and Kim backed slowly away, towards a jeep that was parked not far away.

Kim buried her pale face into Shego's neck and shoulder. The screams coming from the Commander were horrifying.

Shego helped Kim into the jeep and she got into the driver's seat. Luckily the keys were in the ignition. The jeep roared to life and Shego floored the gas.

They sped off into the increasingly darkening night.

* * *

To Be Continued…

**

* * *

A/N: One more chapter, me thinks. As always I'd like to know what your thoughts are. Until next time.**


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